Apparatus for joining threads



March 7, 1967 c, PORTER APPARATUS FOR JOINING THREADS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 27, 1966 FIG. 1

//1 III C. H. PORTER APPARATUS FOR JOINING THREADS arch 7, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 27, 1966 I H 'l IFIG. 8

United States Patent 3,307,339 APPARATUS FOR JOINING THREADS Clarence H. Porter, 295 North St., Hingham, Mass. 02043 Filed June 27, 1966, Ser. No. 560,613 4 Claims. (Cl. 57-22) This invention relates to apparatus for joining threads and is preferably employed in the method of joining two threads with a tailless overhand knot as disclosed in my United States patent application Ser. No. 354,698, filed March 25, 1964, now Patent No. 3,264,023. In the method of that application two threads are set up in a configuration having crossings corresponding to the crossings in an overhand knot, the ends of the two threads are then joined in a junction which includes fibers from both initially unjoine-d threads, and the configuration of crossings is then reduced to an overhand knot in the junction. This results in a tailless overhand knot which locks together fibers of the two initial threads.

The apparatus of the present invention is especially concerned with forming the initial junction.

Since two thread ends are involved the various operations can be most expeditiously performed by provision of two identical oppositely disposed main units. As will appear, each of these main units comprises as main elements two similar thread-gripping and twisting sub-units.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an end view of the two main units with some parts omitted. The construction may be most readily visualized by regarding FIG. 1 as a right end view of the device of FIG. 2, but the shapes and relations of the parts are consistent with FIG. 1 being regarded as a left end vrew.

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 1A1A of FIG. 1, showing gripping jaws and a thread severing blade.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus taken through theaxes of the various rotatable gripper subunits, showing fragments of threads therein.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a ratchet connection between the rotatable elements of two sub-units of a given main unit.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5 to 8 inclusive are diagrammatic views each largely in plan, of the apparatus showing various positions and operations of the units and sub-units.

In FIG. 5 the two units are each gripping both thread ends and their sub-units are rotating to increase the twist in the standing parts of the two threads A and B.

In FIG. 6 the two units are each gripping both thread ends and one sub-unit of each unit is rotating to untwist the thread which extends to a non-rotating sub-unit of the other unit and hence to the standing part of the thread.

FIG. 7 shows the two sub-units of the respective unit as having been moved apart, as a result of which the two untwisted thread ends have been ruptured, leaving frayed ends of diminishing fiber content extending from the gripped standing parts.

FIG. 8 shows the two units as having been shifted laterally, bringing the frayed ends together, and a subunit of each unit rotating to run twist from a standing part into the body of fibers composed of the two frayed ends.

The bases of the two identical units are designated as 10 and 11 and as indicated in FIG. 2 are supported in an overall guiding base 12. In this overall base 12 the units are moved toward and away from the observer in FIG. 2, or towards the right and left as viewed in FIGS. 7 and 8 or in end view FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 will now be referred to for the construction of the sub-units of the unit. Each of these has as main parts an inner rotatable disk 15 or 15a mounted for rotation in a non-rotatable guide or housing 16 or 16a. The guides or housings 16 and 16a are preferably of nylon in order to form anti-friction bearings for the metallic disks 15 and 15a received thereby, and are grooved generally in the form of a re-entrant V to receive a generally corresponding projecting V-section of a chamfered periphery of the inner rotatable disk. The guides or housings 16 and 16a embrace a little more than of the circumference of the inner disk. The flexibility of the nylon may be relied upon to permit the metal disks to be snapped into place, or the guides or housings may be made in two parts so that one part may be fastened to the other part after the disk has been set into the other part.

The guides or housings thus serve as bearings for the disks and also position them as to axial and lateral movement.

As seen in FIG. 1 the right hand disk 15, that is the disk of one sub-unit designated Q, somewhat overlaps the left hand disk 15a of the other sub-unit designated P1. Disk 15 is hollowed to provide a working space for a gripper lever 20 pivoted thereto at 21 and urged against an opposed edge of the disk by a spring 22. A throat 24 leads from the periphery of the disk to the hollow interior thereof and provides an entrance for the thread. A pin 25 stops the thread at the center of the disk. As seen in FIG. 1 the gripper lever is seen held in an open position, for thread reception, by a detent 27. Moving the detent to the dotted line position of FIG. 1 releases the gripper and allows it to grip the thread.

The gripper 20 of disk 15, but not the corresponding gripper of the disk 15a, is preferably provided with a severing blade 29, FIG. 1A, which cooperates with the disk 15 to sever the thread as the latter is gripped. Omission of the blade from disk 15a is because the standing part S of the thread B runs from this disk, and this of course should not be cut ofr. It is contemplated that automatic mechanism for driving the disks will be provided. The invention can be understood by assuming that handles 30, 31 are provided for the disks for manual rotation. However, it will be noted that it is not necessary to turn both handles 30 and 31 at one time because the disks 15 and 15a of the unit are ratcheted together.

Disk 15 on its side away from the observer in FIG. 1 and disk 15a on its side toward the observer are provided with intermeshing teeth, teeth 40a on disk 15a being fixed on the disk, and the teeth 40 being carried by pins 41 and 42 which are slidable in disk 15. To avoid overcrowding the illustration in FIG. 1 only a few of these teeth are shown on each disk, but it will be understood that the teeth extend around the full 360 of each disk. The throat 24 passes between two adjacent teeth.

Pin 41 is urged by a spring 43 to project its tooth into operative engagement with a tooth 40a of disk 15a.

Teeth 40 are beveled so that with counterclockwise rotation of disk 15 the teeth ratchet out of driving relation with the teeth on disk 15a. Thus clockwise rotation of disk 15 gives counterclockwise rotation of disk 15a and counterclockwise rotation of disk 15 leaves disk 15a stationary.

There is one phase in the operation when disk 15a is turned clockwise, namely the final phase of FIG. 8 wherein twist is being run into the junction from the standing part of origin-a1 thread B. There is no need for disk 15 to rotate in this phase, and as will be apparent the ratchet relation between the disks is interrupted throughout that phase so that disk 15a does not drive disk 15.

As indicated in FIG. 2 the sub-unit Q provided by disk 15 and its housing 16 is longitudinally shiftable in the unit. FIG. 2 shows its position up to the time when disk 15 is retracted away from the other unit in FIG. 7 to rupture the untwisted thread. Disk 15a of the sub-unit P does not partake of this retraction, its guide or housing 16a being fixed to the base of the unit, so that the ratchet between disks 15 and 15a is disconnected by the retraction.

A comb 511 comprising three generally vertical teeth and a bottom back 51 is attached to the housing 16a. Upon lateral shift of the base 1d of the unit this comb shifts one frayed thread end to engage the other frayed end which is similarly shifted by a corresponding comb.

Vertical support for the thread ends is afforded by horizontal runs of strips 52 which extend between teeth of the combs, one strip 52 being mounted on the base of one, unit and the other strip being mounted on the base 11 of the other unit by connecting leg portions 52a. The horizontal runs of strips 52 support the threads at the central axes of the disks.

The device has thus far been described mainly by reference to the unit which is mounted on base 10 and comprises sub-units Q and P Corresponding structure operating in the same way is mounted on base 11 of the other unit and need not be separately described. Subunit P is like sub-unit Q and sub-unit Q, is like sub-unit P It is only necessary to point out that when it is stated that a disk, say the disk 16a, is turning counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 1, and more particularly in FIG. 5, disk 16a of the other unit has rotation having the same effect upon its gripped thread, only it would be necessary to move around and look at the device from the other end to see this as counterclockwise movement. From FIG. 1 it would appear clockwise. Looked at from the point of view of FIG. 1 the movements are as follows.

FIG. 5, running twist back.-Disk carried by base 10 rotates clockwise; disk 15a carried by base 11 rotates clockwise; disk 15a carried by base 10 rotates counterclockwise; disk 15 carried by base 11 rotates counterclockwise.

FIG. 6, untwisting.Disk 15 carried by base 10 rotates counterclockwise; disk 15a carried by base 11 is stationary; disk 15a carried by base 10 is stationary; disk 15 carried by base 11 rotates clockwise.

FIG. 8, twisting-Disk 15 carried by base 10 is idle and retracted; disk 15a carried by base 11 rotates counterclockwise; disk 15a carried by base 10 rotates clockwise; disk 15 carried by base 11 is idle and retracted.

As indicated, the retracting movements of the sub-units comprising disks 15 of the two units which follow the untwisting operation of FIG. 6 result in the ruptures of FIG. 7. The lateral shifts of the bases 10 and 11 which align the two disks then intervene between FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. In this lateral shifting the combs comprised of the fingers 50 centralize the frayed thread ends, and in subsequent twisting of FIG. 8 these combs hold the fibers of the two ends together under light pressure. Upon completion of the junction as described the junction may be removed and the previously set up configuration of thread crossings reduced to an overhand knot in the junction as described in my said application, Serial No. 354,698.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for use in joining textile threads, means for untwisting end parts of two threads, means for plucking fibers from the untwisted end parts so as to cause said end parts to diminish in fibercontent toward the end thereof, means for bringing together the thus treated end parts where they respectively diminish in fiber content, and means for twisting said end parts together.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including sets of rotatable longitudinally spaced grippers, the sets being adapted for side by side location, a gripper of each set being rotatable relative to another gripper of the same set to untwist a thread end part extending therebetween, a gripper of each set being retractable longitudinally of the end part relative to another gripper of the set, to pluck out fibers from the standing part of thread held by said other gripper, means for supporting the frayed ends resulting from such plucking, the means for bringing together the end parts including means for aligning the said other grippers associated with the standing parts.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including an interconnection between a gripper of one set and a gripper of the other set such that rotation of the first-named gripper in one direction is accompanied by rotation of the secondnamed gripper in the opposite direction, for use in running twist into the standing part of a thread, and such that, prior to the plucking, rotation of one of the interconnected grippers in a direction opposite to its original direction leaves its interconnected gripper stationary, for use in untwisting.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including two main units each including longitudinally offset and laterally offset but overlapping gripper carrying sub-units, the two main units being capable of a relative shift between positions (1) where both carriers of both units are aligned with respect to carriers, each of the other unit, for running back twist into the standing parts, for untwisting, and for plucking, and (2) where inner carriers of the two units are aligned, for retwisting.

References Cited by the Examiner v UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,345,375 7/1920 Lemay 5722 1,532,572 4/1925 Brewster 5722 1,986,974 1/1935 Kellogg 57l59 X 2,515,172 7/1950 Abbott 57l59 2,846,838 8/1958 Wolfe 5722 X 2,943,434 7/1960 Joy et al 57l59 X FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

D. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN APPARATUS FOR USE IN JOINING TEXTILE THREADS, MEANS FOR UNTWISTING END PARTS OF TWO THREADS, MEANS FOR PLUCKING FIBERS FROM THE UNTWISTED END PARTS SO AS TO CAUSE SAID END PARTS TO DIMINISH IN FIBER CONTENT TOWARD THE END THEREOF, MEANS FOR BRINGING TOGETHER THE THUS TREATED END PARTS WHERE THEY RESPECTIVELY DIMINISH IN FIBER CONTENT, AND MEANS FOR TWISTING SAID END PARTS TOGETHER. 